When you pick up a pen to write, it’s what you say that matters. We all know that the ideas we’re trying to communicate are far more important than the appearance of our handwriting.

So why is it, when we pick up a pen to draw, so many of us paralysed by the fear that it won’t look great? Why is drawing the preserve of those who do it beautifully when pictures - no matter how basic - have such enormous power as tools for communication? Anyone with the ability to hold a pen and write their own name, has the skills required to harness the power of pictures. Yet, few of us do.

That’s why we love this quote from Noah Klocek, Pixar art director, and author of The Art of Wall-E. So much so, we’ve turned it into a hardworking picture! It reminds us all – from professional artists to newcomers to the world of visual thinking and communication – great pictures can be pretty or pretty ugly, but they all have something to say.

If you want to learn more about the power of hardworking pictures, visit our Academy page. It's full of visual thinking tips and the latest from our workshops team. Or experience the extraordinary problem-solving power of pictures by checking your team into a bespoke Inktank workshop.